The rise of telematics

Black box technology and telematics, have become buzz words of late. Give it a few years and these advanced systems will probably be the norm in not just businesses, but also in household cars. But for now, they are at the edge of technology, helping to transform safety and fuel efficiency in fleets at some of the most recognised businesses in the country.

RoSPA’s annual Occupational Health and Safety Awards introduced a new category to honour the best use of technology in managing occupational road risk (MORR).

The winner of this new Technology in MORR trophy was the logistics division of construction company CEMEX UK. What impressed judges was the way it was developing and trialling the use of technology to reduce the risks to pedal cyclists.

CEMEX has made a major investment in innovative bespoke systems to alert their drivers when cyclists are nearby, including sensors, additional blind spot mirrors and camera systems. However, they are not simply installing bits of kit, but are conducting proper trials, evaluated with the help of a university, to make sure that the technology they adopt is effective.

It was also apt that Tesco Dotcom sponsored this new trophy as the home delivery division of the UK supermarket chain has led the way in introducing methods that could cut work-related road accidents in recent years. Indeed, it has already lifted the overall MORR award prize at RoSPA’s occupational awards on five separate occasions with the use of technology a strong feature in its fleet.

RoSPA has campaigned for work-related road risk to be taken seriously by employers and regulators as more workers are killed or injured in work-related road accidents than by all other work activities combined. Between a quarter and a third of all road crashes in the UK are estimated to involve a person and/or a vehicle at work at the time, which equates to around 150 people killed or seriously injured in work crashes every week.

That is why RoSPA is keeping a close eye on the rise of telematics as they can help significantly with risk management processes such as risk assessment, active monitoring of performance and crash investigations. The information they provide to both drivers and their managers can help to reduce the rate of crashes and road casualties. Also, when drivers know that telematics are fitted, this can help to reduce risky driving directly, because behaviours such as speeding, harsh acceleration and braking will be recorded. But, of course, like all innovations in safety, this has to be done with proper consultation and agreement. You can only do safety with people not too them!

Telematics and black boxes have the ability to record every step of a journey, from the driver’s braking behaviour at junctions and corners to speed and acceleration habits, which can be analysed later to provide useful feedback for the driver. Around one per cent of the 28 million cars on UK roads are currently using this technology, and research shows that the technology improves driving.

At RoSPA’s recent road safety seminar, the benefits and future of this technology were examined. Insurance companies seem to be looking long and hard at how they can incorporate this technology into shaping quotes for both commercial and residential drivers. Andy Price, the practice leader for Europe’s Motor Fleet at Zurich Risk Engineering, pointed out that drivers need to understand that their driving may not be the best in the world. He noted how driving was, on the whole, an unsupervised task, but telemetry if done correctly could add some supervision. From RoSPA’s point of view, if a driver gets debriefed about inappropriate driving, which changes his or her behaviour in the future, it makes the roads a safer place. That’s why constant feedback goes hand in hand with this technology.

 

While safety is a key issue for us, we understand that the key motivation for many companies is saving money on fuel efficiency (some firms have reported a 10 per cent saving in fuel through better driving), lower maintenance costs and insurance premiums, which have gone down as a result of fewer crashes and incidents. One company using this technology in its 500 commercial vehicles has, over three years, already reduced road-related incidents by 65 per cent, cut damage costs by 60 per cent, slashed its insurance premiums by 14 per cent, saved on 100,000 litres of fuel and ultimately saved £1.9million. So, whether it is in terms of safety or finances, there is obviously a clear advantage and future to telematics.